Al Andalib Al Asmar "The Dusky Nightingale". was the nickname of the most idolized Arabic artist-singer of the second half of the 20th century: Abdel Halim Hafez. His life resembles a true mosaic where all of his songs put together make up a fresco of love, patriotism, glory and grief. He was the idol of the young generations of the sixties and seventies, and remained so for the generations that followed. So much so that today, grand mothers compete with their grand children in their idolatry for the "Dusky Nightingale". Today, fully matured middle aged men are still overwhelmed by him as their prime youth was deeply marked by his unique and unmatched voice. He was practically born an orphan. It was in 1929 and the beginning of a grief stricken life III health and disease continuously dogged the artist until he died prematurely at the age of 48 in a London clinic. Sixteen movies and some hundred songs cannot possible, be enough to sum up and explain the Abdel Halim Hafez phenomenon. Halim, as his close friends used to call him was endowed with a rare charisma boosted by an outstanding intelligence and an amazing sensitivity and compassion which permeated the way he sang or played as an actor with prestigious stars such as Shadia, Faten Hamama, Maryam Fakhreddine, Sabah etc... Although a talented musician himself, he never composed the melodies of his songs. However, he enriched the work of his early collaborators namely kamal El Taweel, Mohamed El Mougui and later on Mohamed Abdel Wahab who was his close friend and his "accomplice" as well as Baligh Hamdi to name a few. He happened to sing songs whose lyrics sounded more like a trade-union manifesto but which turned into fiery passion through the magic of his voice...Imagine when he crooned love songs...

The songs recorded on this CD are based on the poems by these two medieval poets from Cordoba. Using Andalusí music from the same period in history the poems have been adapted to existing melodies. The poetry itself has survived in the Andalusí nubas from Morocco, and anonymous texts have been replaced by the words written by Walladah and Ibn Zaydún. In this way we have poetry and music from the 11th century using the "contrafacta" technique, common in Al-Andalus at the time. The result is a collection of the most beautiful melodies from the repertoire, with new verses in the same rhyme and metre as the ones they replace.A dialogue of love and indifference that for the very first time is expressed through the surviving verse written by Princess Walladah, corresponded by her eternal suitor Ibn Zaydún.The collaboration between Eduardo Paniagua as musical director and producer, and the singers El Arabí Serghini and Aouatif Bouamar continues PNEUMA's previous series of projects: "Poemas de la Alhambra" PN-230, "Felicidad Cumplida. Inscripciones árabes del Alcázar de Sevilla" PN-290 and "El Agua de la Alhambra" PN-320.Only nine of Wallada poems have been preserved, of which five are satirical, daring, risqué and caustic. As a sign of her independence and freedom, she wore this emblematic verse embroidered on the right shoulder of her tunic:On the left:I am fit for high positions by GodAnd am going my way with pride.On the left:I allow my lover to touch my cheekAnd bestow my kiss on him who craves it.Ibn Zaydún.Ibn Zaydún.When she offers me jasmine in the palm of her handI collect bright stars from the hand of the moon.

WalladaIn the year 711, the history of Cordoba, Spain, was about to witness a dramatic change. The Muslims who were conquering Spain, were about to receive the most precious of the Iberian Jewels, Cordoba. However, surrender of the city was based on an agreement, which allowed Jews, Christians, and Muslims to live peacefully.

The Great Mosque, the oldest building still in use (now as a Cathedral) has an interesting history that illustrates some toleration. It was built on land that had been part of a monastery. The Muslims paid for the land. The Mosque was built in the 8th c., and Cordoba remained Muslim until Christians from the north took over in 1236. The Christians built a cathedral inside the mosque. Interestingly, the Mosque was not destroyed except for those portions of the interior where the altar, choir and other parts of the Cathedral were placed. There are no walls to the Cathedral. It simply was placed inside the much larger mosque.

Over the centuries, families paid for small chapels, which line one wall of the former Mosque. A Christian bell tower was also added. The Mosque/Cathedral is in the heart of the historic district surrounded by narrow streets of the former Jewish Quarter. Today the former Mosque functions only as a Cathedral. A nearby Jewish synagogue has been preserved for its historic value, but is not used.

That tolerant city under the Muslims was the birthplace of a very liberal poetess, Wallada Bint Al Mustakfi. There is no question that Wallada and many other Poets and artists would not have been able to write or create what they have done in any other place. Until this day the city has several monuments and statues dedicated to “los enamorados”, the lovers, of whom Wallada gained a very wide-spread fame.0

The love story of the poet Ibn Zaydun and his beautiful, courageous Princess is still alive in the hearts of the people of Cordoba, the capital of Arab Spain and of the Umayyad Caliphs.

Who really was the passionate and daring Umayyad princess?

When Cordoba was the greatest and most sophisticated city, not only of the Moorish civilization but also the entire known world, the Princess Wallada (born in 1011 and died in 1091) achieved fame for her court of learning, many centuries before France's legendary Madame de Rambouillet held sway over her literary salon. Wallada gathered around her the finest poets and musicians of al-Andalus, who would sit around her on cushions and rugs, improvising ballads and epic sagas to the sound of the lute and zither.

Wallada, was the daughter of the Caliph al-Mustakfi Billah, Mohammed the Third, who reigned for only two years, 1923-1025. She was greatly admired for her fair skin and blue eyes, which gave her a very special, exotic appeal for the Aristocats of Cordoba. She had a unique reputation for wit, eloquence and intelligence. Famed for beauty as well as independence, Walladah inspired verses from other poets and wrote her own, becoming poet and author as well as singer. Her poetry was noted for its boldness. In fact, she was so proud of her beauty that she refused to wear the veil when she went out in the streets of the city, thus enraging the local religious people. It was the time of the great fitna, (rebellion) when the Berbers were rising up against the Umayyad Caliphate, and religious tension was high.

But Cordoba was in many ways very liberal indeed. This was because the Andalucian society of the time was a multi-cultural one, a mixture of the Islamic, Christian and Jewish cultures, which made up medieval Spain.

Wallada not only refused to cover her face, she also was very outspoken and free in her personal behaviour, thus becoming a symbol of liberation for the women of her time. She resisted all efforts to keep her in her traditional place, and to prevent her from choosing the lovers she preferred.

When the great Moorish philosopher and supreme judge of the city, Ibn Rushd, known to Europeans as Averroes, accused her of being a harlot, she responded with an act of defiance. She had one of her own poems embroidered on the gown she wore in the street, for everyone to read. It said:

On the left side:

I am fit for high positions by GodAnd am going my way with pride.And on the left:I allow my lover to touch my cheekAnd bestow my kiss on him who craves it.

Her most famous relation, a true and passionate love story, was with Ibn Zaydun, one of the greatest Arab poets of the time, born in 1003 and died in 1071.

Although Ibn Zaydun was a leading figure in the courts of Cordoba and Seville, he was most famous among the people of his day because of his scandalous love affair with Princess Wallada. They did nothing to hide their passion, and at her literary circle, when the poets began improvising, as was their custom, they would allude to it quite openly. On one famous occasion, Wallada uttered this impromptu verse, as she gazed upon her lover's face:

I fear for you, my beloved so much, that even my own sight even the ground you tread even the hours that pass threaten to snatch you away from me. Even if I were able to conceal you within the pupils of my eyes and hide you there until the Day of Judgment my fear would still not be allayed.

And he, returning her glance just as ardently, responded:

Your passion has made me famous among high and low your face devours my feelings and thoughts. When you are absent, I cannot be consoled, but when you appear, my all my cares and troubles fly away. When she offers me jasmine in the palm of her hand I collect bright stars from the hand of the moon.

Ibn Zaydun's prestige, as the leading poet and the lover of the most beautiful woman of Cordoba, awakened much jealousy among his rivals, such as Ibn Abdus, the Caliph's Vizir. He created a venemous intrigue aimed at destroying his enemy's friendship with the Caliph and also his romance with Wallada.

At first he failed, but then succeeded in catching Ibn Zaydun making love to Wallada's favourite slave, an African girl. The proud Princess was so hurt that she wrote him a poem of rebuke:

If you had been truly sincere in the love, which joined us, you would not have preferred, to me, one of my own slaves. In so doing, you scorned the bough, which blossoms with beauty and chose a branch, which bears only hard and bitter fruit. You know that I am the clear, shining moon of the heavens but, to my sorrow, you chose, instead, a dark and shadowy planet.

Ibn Abdus then made his rival jealous by letting it be known that Wallada had taken him as her lover, and by walking beside her in the streets of Cordoba. The arrow hit its mark, and the wounded Ibn Zaydun bitterly wrote these lines to the woman he thought had spurned him:

You were for me nothing but a sweetmeat that I took a bite of and then tossed away the crust, leaving it to be gnawed on by a rat.

Although the Caliph was fond of Ibn Zaydun, the scandal reached such proportions that he had him thrown into prison, and later exiled him to Seville. The hapless poet languished there, far from the gardens of the great palace, Medina Zahara, and he passionately missed his beloved Princess. Fortunately for him, the Caliph died soon afterwards and Ibn Zaydun was able to return. The lovers forgave one another and for a while their affair continued, just as passionate and stormy as before. But Wallada now lived in the home of powerful Vizir, who gave her protection, and Ibn Zaydun, disenchanted, eventually decided to return to Seville, where he spent the rest of his life as the favourite poet of the Sultan.

Only nine of Wallada poems have been preserved, of which five are satirical, daring, risqué and caustic. Some of her most impressive love lined she wrote to Ibn Zaidun, and some of her harshest satires were also addressed to him!

Ibn ZaydúnAbu al-Waleed Ahmad Ibn Zaydún al-Makhzumi (1003-1071) known as Ibn Zaydún (Arabic full name,أبو الوليد أحمد بن زيدون المخزومي)was a famous Arab Andalusian poet of Cordoba and Seville. His romantic and literary life was dominated by his relations with the poetess Wallada bint al-Mustakfi, the daughter of the Ummayad Caliph Muhammad III of Cordoba.

Ibn Zaydun was born in Cordoba of pure Arab descent, from the Arab tribe of Makhzum, which was one of the first tribes to migrate to al-Andalus

Ibn Zaydun grew up during the decline of the Umayyad caliphate and was imprisoned by the government. He sought refuge with one local ruler and then another in Seville. He was able to return home for a period after the ruler of Seville conquered Cordoba. Much of his life was spent in exile and the themes of lost youth and nostalgia for his city are present in many of his poems. In a poem about Cordoba he remembers his city and his youth:

God has sent showers upon abandoned dwelling places pf those we loved. He has woven upon them a striped many-coloured garmet of flowers, and raised among them a flower like a star. How many girls like images trailed their garmets among such flowers, when life was fresh and time was at our service...How happy were, those days that have passed, days of pleasure, when we lived with those who had back flowing hair and white shoulders

By Wijdan al shommariA few months ago I was sitting at a sidewalk café, in the shadow of the medieval walls of Cordoba - and just a few steps from a curious statue of two hands, which seem to be reaching towards one another. I knew, from my studies in Damascus, that it pays tribute to a great Moorish poet and the Princess, also a poetess, whom he loved.It was Saint Valentine's day, a bright winter morning. I pretended not to know what the statue represented and, just to see what he would say, asked the young waiter if he did, as if I were any other tourist. "That statue is dedicated to los enamorados, the lovers". he said, as he served my cup of coffee.The love story of the poet Ibn Zaydun and his beautiful, courageous Princess is still alive in the hearts of the people of Cordoba, the capital of Moorish Spain and of the Ummeyad Caliphs. But where I was born, Syria, their poems are studied in every high school student's Arabic literature class.But who really was the passionate and daring Ummeyad princess?When Cordoba was the greatest and most sophisticated city, not only of the Moorish civilization but also the entire known world, the Princess Wallada (born in 1011 and died in 1091) achieved fame for her court of learning, many centuries before France's legendary Madame de Rambouillet held sway over her literary salon. Wallada gathered around her the finest poets and musicians of al-Andalus, who would sit around her on cushions and rugs, improvising ballads and epic sagas to the sound of the lute and zither.Wallada, who was the daughter of the Caliph al-Mustakfi, was greatly admired for her fair skin and blue eyes, which gave her a very special, exotic appeal for the men of Cordoba. In fact, she was so proud of her beauty that she refused to wear the veil when she went out in the streets of the city, thus enraging the local mullahs. It was the time of the great fitna, when the Berbers were rising up against the Ummeyad Caliphate, and religious tension was high.But Cordoba was in many ways much more liberal in its customs than some Middle Eastern countries are today. This was because the Andalucian society of the time was a multi-cultural one, a mixture of the Islamic, Christian and Jewish civilisations, which made up medieval Spain. This meant that no single religion had full power over the men, and particularly over the women, of the city.Wallada not only refused to cover her face, she also was very outspoken and free in her sexual behaviour, thus becoming a symbol of liberation for the women of her time. She resisted all efforts to keep her in her traditional place, and to prevent her from choosing the lovers she preferred.When the great Moorish philosopher and supreme judge of the city, Ibn Rushd, known to Europeans as Averroes, accused her of being a harlot, she responded with an act of defiance. She had one of her own poems embroidered on her gown and wore it in the street, for everyone to read. It said:"For the sake of Allah! I deserve nothing less than glory I hold my head high and go my way I will give my cheek to my lover and my kisses to anyone I choose."She had many lovers, but the most famous was the Ibn Zaydun, one of the greatest Moorish poets of the time, born in 1003 and died in 1071.Although Ibn Zaydun was a leading figure in the courts of Cordoba and Seville, he was most famous among the people of his day because of his scandalous love affair with Princess Wallada. They did nothing to hide their passion, and at her literary circle, when the poets began improvising, as was their custom, they would allude to it quite openly. On one famous occasion, Wallada uttered this impromptu verse, as she gazed upon her lover's face:"I fear for you, my beloved so much, that even my own sight even the ground you tread even the hours that pass threaten to snatch you away from me. Even if I were able to conceal you within the pupils of my eyes and hide you there until the Day of Judgment my fear would still not be allayed."And he, returning her glance just as ardently, responded:"Your passion has made me famous among high and low your face devours my feelings and thoughts. When you are absent, I cannot be consoled, but when you appear, my all my cares and troubles fly away."Ibn Zaydun's prestige, as the leading poet and the lover of the most beautiful woman of Cordoba, awakened much jealousy among his rivals, such as Ibn Abdus, the Caliph's Vizir. He created a venomous intrigue aimed at destroying his enemy's friendship with the Caliph and also his romance with Wallada.At first he failed, but then succeeded in catching Ibn Zaydun making love to Wallada's favourite slave, an African girl. The proud Princess was so hurt that she wrote him a poem of rebuke:"If you had been truly sincere in the love which joined us you would not have preferred, to me, one of my own slaves. In so doing, you scorned the bough, which blossoms with beauty and chose a branch which bears only hard and bitter fruit. You know that I am the clear, shining moon of the heavens but, to my sorrow, you chose, instead, a dark and shadowy planet."Ibn Abdus then made his rival jealous by letting it be known that Wallada had taken him as her lover, and by walking beside her in the streets of Cordoba. The arrow hit its mark, and the wounded Ibn Zaydun bitterly wrote these lines to the woman he thought had spurned him:"You were for me nothing but a sweetmeat that I took a bite of and then tossed away the crust, leaving it to be gnawed on by a rat."This caused much amusement in the city, because Ibn Zaydun had compared the unpopular Vizir to a rat. The ugly old man went straight to the Caliph to complain, but rather than mention the insult to his own person, he pointed out that the poet had compared a Princess of the realm to a pastry crust.Soon after, Ibn Zaydun fell out of favour altogether. Wallada discovered him with a man. Homosexuality is forbidden in the Koran, but was widely practiced by the Moors of the time nevertheless. She used the occasion to send him back an even more hurtful poem than the one he had addressed to her:"The nickname they give you is Number Six and it will stick to you until you die because you are a pansy, a bugger a fornicator a cuckold, a swine and a thief. If a phallus could become a palm tree, you would turn into a woodpecker."Although the Caliph was fond of Ibn Zaydun, the scandal reached such proportions that he had him thrown into prison, and later exiled him to Seville. The hapless poet languished there, far from the gardens of the great palace, Medina Zahara, and he passionately missed his beloved Princess. Fortunately for him, the Caliph died soon afterwards and Ibn Zaydun was able to return. The lovers forgave one another and for a while their affair continued, just as passionate and stormy as before. But Wallada now lived in the home of powerful Vizir, who gave her protection, and Ibn Zaydun, disenchanted, eventually decided to return to Seville, where he spent the rest of his life as the favourite poet of the Sultan.The sculpture of the hands of Ibn Zaydun and Wallada was placed in the plaza known as El Campo Santo de los Mártires in 1971, to commemorate the 900th anniversary of the great poet's death.

Trifon Trifonov & StanimakaBulgarian Wedding Music from the Last Century, 2005

On a hill a few kilometres away from Saint-Emilion, close to the village Saint-Aubin de Branne but away from the other houses, there is a little château, neglected and almost wasting away until recently, called "Atelier des Nuages". On the east side, an alley leads up a steep stony incline, then though a gateway into an inner courtyard enclosed by walls, with an overgrown garden. A well marks the centre, and at the end there is a mini-castle from the 16th century, with a broad view to the west, ranging out over woods and vineyards. To the south, a stone remise marks the close of this areal. "Atelier des Nuages" is an enclave created for music and festivities. The current owner is François des Ligneris, an extraordinary man and fascinatingly individual oenologist [Château Soutard, Saint-Emilion, L'R de Rien from 1999] who has chosen this remarkable property to create a little world of his own for art and culture. The name "Atelier des Nuages" [Cloud Studio] refers to the location between two rivers, the Garonne and Dordogne, since for François des Ligneris, rivers are like clouds. In the special series of seminars and concerts called "Musiques de Nuit invite Winter & Winter", directed by Patrick Duval, Uri Caine has already given a solo concert here, and the premiere of "Letters from Shanghai", with the actress Dominique Garras and the musicians Roswitha Dasch and Brave Old World conducted by Alan Bern, took place here too. An invitation to Trifon Trifonov and Stanimaka in Summer 2004 turns this place for one night into a Bulgarian wedding celebration from the middle of the previous century. François des Ligneris and the wonderful group Musiques de Nuit build a wooden stage in front of the remise, a temporary kitchen, long tables covered with white paper serviettes, and wooden chairs; temporary lanterns light up the courtyard and countless bottles of wine from Château Soutard are standing at the ready. The festivities can begin, the guests arrive, take their places, and the musicians come along the pathway over the hill, playing the wedding march Kozbunarsko Xoro in Bayriam Kaev’s version. The Ottoman influences on Bulgarian music remind one of the often tense coexistence of Bulgaria and Turkey. Bulgaria lies at the cutting edge between Europe and the East, in a place where these different ways of life collide like tectonic plates, always creating violent confrontations. In the middle of the 19th century, an uprising led by Georgi Benkovski against the Turkish occupying forces is bloodily suppressed. The Bulgarians are forced to become Moslems or struggle, and the Bulgarian language is forbidden on the streets. But the brutality with which the rebellion it had organised was drowned in blood had positive consequences for Bulgaria, despite the defeat. Many European nations were furious, and protested. Then events happened that would decisively change Bulgarian history. The Russian tsar Alexander II waged war against Turkey. The declaration of the Russo-Turkish war was greeted with enthusiasm by the Bulgarian population in the Ottoman kingdom. After some historical confusion,, the German Prince Ferdinand von Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha was agreed on as the political ruler of Bulgaria. So Georgi Benkovski had made a contribution to creating Bulgaria. In the villages, the poorer people found ways of living together more or less peacefully, and there were marriages between Bulgars and Turks. According to ancient tradition, the Bulgarian clarinettist Bayriam Kaev forwarded the Tracia style [Kozbunarsko Xoro] to the younger generation, just like a story teller. The repertoire and performing style were passed down by playing and imitation. Trifon Trifonov, rather like the brothers Grimm, is now writing down the music inherited from older generations, to preserve it for the future, and make it accessible once more. The accordion player Ivan Milev gave his name to the piece Mileva Rachenitsa. His father - also an accordionist - performed in Bayriam Kaev's group together with the drummer Vasil Karavasilev [his familiy name is half Turkish]. In 1944, in keeping with the new Russian communist powers, Vasil Karavasilev was beaten up by a Bulgarian policeman because his drum had "American Jazz" written on it. So he turned the drum skin around, and inscribed "Moscow Circus" on it. A week later he had another clash with the police, and this time the drum was stomped. After this incidence he stopped playing music for five years until Trifon Trifonov’s father wanted him to play at a wedding, but with no drum skin, that wasn’t on. When a calf was slaughtered in the neighbourhood, Vasil Karavasilev begged the owner to let him use the skin. But he had to leave the head and feet attached to the skin, because the hide still had to be sold. Vasil Karavasilev stretched the cow skin over his drum, and both head and feet wiggled at every stroke. After the wedding he gave the skin back, as promised, and even today, musicians in and around Plovdiv like to tell this droll story. Half of the population of Pazardjik, to the west of Plovdiv, was once Turkish, so in the piece Tatar Pazardjik [Pazardjik Market], the zurna plays a main role, since Turks particularly like the sound of this instrument. The reciprocal relationship between Bulgaria and Turkey has influenced Bulgarian folk music and its instruments. The song Katil Georgy is dedicated to another legendary folk hero, who fought for Bulgaria alone, fearlessly, relying only on himself, and was incarcerated in a Greek prison in Solun [Thessaloniki], where he was interrogated and tortured. Even today, Trifon Trifonov and Stanimaka are still playing the wonderful legend of their hero Georgi. Alongside these tales of the pride and power of the Bulgarian people, almost crushed between Serbia, Greece and Turkey, a wedding has to have love songs too. Stanke Le is a song about an utterly infatuated man who rides ten horses to death to get his Stanke, and desires nothing more than to possess her, and get her from her mother. Until the fifties of the previous century, women were not permitted in wedding groups: all songs were sung by the men. It’s only in recent years that this tradition has changed: now women can take part. Now more legends are told – this time about Indje Voivoda, who was killed at a battle with the Ottomans in Prut, in 1821. Indje is venerated as a defender of the oppressed Bulgarians … And the wood’s leaves wept bitter tears, as Indje was struck between the eyes. No-one was there to help him, to bring him water, to sooth his wounds, and Indje says to the wood, don’t weep for me. The following balada leads into Rachenitsa ot Topolovo. The clarinettist Asen Dimitrov has perpetuated this sensual dance. He’s one of Bulgaria’s musical magicians, and a whole village can dance to his music for up to 15 hours. Wedding days are special days: young and old join in the festivities, celebrating, dancing, eating and drinking. At the end of the wedding feast comes Gleday Me Ajshe: a homage to gypsy music. Trifon Trifonov’s mother recorded this song on a cassette, so as to pass it on to Velichka Trendafilova-Gioreva: Look at me, Ajshe: today I’m here, tomorrow I’m gone! I’m going to Slatina. What should I buy you at the market? Bring me glittering pearls and a shiny belt for my hips. And with another rendering of Kozbunarsko Xoro, the wedding procession goes away over the hill from the "Atelier des Nuages". For a few hours, Trifon Trifonov and Stanimaka have brought Bulgarian life into this enclave. There’ll never be a celebration like this here again. - Stefan Winter

This is a unique belly dance recording, from one of the most renowned violinists in the Middle East. Aboud Abdel Al, originally from Lebanon, writes his own arrangements, in his own, unique style. Enjoy!

And, with perfect timing, here's a new CD from Saydisc. The Damian Webb tag alerts me to the possibility of songs by children - though the general presentation of this record did not prepare me for the fact that only 32 of the total 57 minutes playing time would be by adults. Might the majority of potential purchasers feel slightly cheated? One could argue that they shouldn't, particularly given the general high quality of the youngsters' performances. But they certainly should be by the quality of the booklet notes - also by Fr Webb - which manage to combine ignorance, irrelevant anecdote, misleading information and some personal observations which reveal a most unpleasantly patronising attitude. How about this, from the first paragraph:Country dance clubs were comparatively rare [in 1962], the country people being content to jig about in pairs using Sard steps to Sard music.I am at a loss to understand how anyone can publish an observation like this in 1998! It makes an interesting comparison with a comment in the booklet accompanying Ethnica's excellent Ballo Sardos CD from 1997 (also reviewed in these pages):In the past twenty years, however, the tendency in many villages to form folk-dance groups has gradually been destroying the custom of dancing in the village square. As a result, the old folks have delegated the joy of collective dancing (a ritual which united the whole group) to a small group of young people who, decked out in folk costume, perform a virtuoso exhibition on a platform to an audience which applauds but which has been dispossessed of its reason to dance.These recordings were made in 1962 and I would guess that the notes were written not too long afterwards, since they give little indication of any historical perspective. I don't know if the record has been previously released on vinyl - Saydisc's 'New Release' information sheet claims it is "a valuable addition to our expanding range of traditional world music". If this is indeed the case, the notes seem uncomfortably anachronistic in a 1998 release.For example: Fr Webb describes travelling to Baunei especially to hear a player of the launeddas (described as "the launedda [sic] ... a rare double [sic] pipe"). After half a page of irrelevancies we get a brief description of the instrument and its playing method, followed by the observation "The noise is excruciating and I doubt it will survive for long." Well, only about 3,000 years, and counting! Fortunately, another Webb prediction which has not stood the test of time.Had he travelled to the southern hinterland, rather than to Baunei on the central east coast, he would have found plenty of launeddas players - as one still can today. Moreover, he would have discovered that it takes a lifetime of experience to get to grips with this most difficult of instruments, and might not have been surprised to find that this isolated, mid-twenties player (to judge by the photo) was a rather poor specimen.Oddly, he was the only person on the entire record to be accorded the dignity of a name - Monni Salvatore Pudrana. For the rest: "male quartet from Nuoro", "blind accordion player from Santa Maria Navoresse" or "Dorgali folk song group" have to suffice. Nor is Fr Webb much interested in the music - several tracks have no title other than "Folk Dance music" - and there is only one indication of a song in Sard, despite a lengthy description of his time in Lotzorai and the parish priest's translating "all the songs sung in Sard" into Italian for him.No, the notes - where they are not chronicling the details of his travel and accommodation arrangements - are almost entirely about the children and their singing games, Fr Webb's special interest, which is not really what the CD purports to be about. Nonetheless, some of their singing is very good indeed and I'm pleased to have been able to hear it. The recording quality is excellent for a 1960's field recording - with the exception of the only coro track which is marred by the most horrendous echo from "a very resonant gymnasium" where they were recorded. A pity, since the singing seems to be pretty good. Unsurprisingly, Fr Webb felt this "to be an advantage when recording the male quartet - they faced inwards in a close circle with heads down". Judge for yourselves! The echo was less intrusive when the 'folk dance group with accordion' performed - though, of course, all you hear is the rather good accordion (player un-named as usual). Surprisingly, since he was in the right area for it, the CD contains nothing of the justly famous cantu a tenores polyphony.All in all, the music and singing to be heard here is pretty good and well reproduced for the most part. To call it a "valuable addition" to Saydisc's catalogue must be considered to be something of an exaggeration - it's mediocre by the standards set by companies like Chant du Monde, Robi Droli/New Tone or Ethnica. To describe the booklet notes as mediocre would be praise indeed!

Unforgettable Sufis brings together the eternal poetry of mystic poets, Kabir Sahib and Hazrat Amir Khusrau. The evocative lyrics drawn from their poetry explore the myriad shades of love and spell the rich experience of musical ecstasy. The most fascinating aspect is that these renditions are blend with the melody of Indian Classical music, making this album a timeless gift of love for the yearning souls who long to be in communion with the divine. Kabir Sahib and Hazrat Amir Khusrau are among the greatest mystics who shared the rapture and bliss of being in love with the divinity. Their poetry resonates with the loving adoration towards God and fills the heart with devotion and surrender for the Guru who embodies God. Hazrat Amir Khusrau is also credited with enriching Hindustani classical music by introducing Persian and Arabic elements in it, and was the originator of the khayal and tarana styles of music. The invention of the tabla is also traditionally attributed to Hazrat Amir Khusrau. Both the Sufi mystic poets are held in high esteem all over the world.

Shujaat Husain Khan is perhaps the greatest North Indian classical musician of his generation. He belongs to the Imdad Khan gharana (tradition) of the sitar (lute) and is the seventh in the unbroken line from his family that has produced many musical masters. His style known as the gayaki ang, is imitative of the subtleties of the human voice.
Shujaat Husain Khan is the son and disciple of master sitarist Ustad Vilayat Khan. His musical pedigree continues back through his grandfather, Ustad Inayat Khan; his great-grandfather, Ustad Imdad Khan; and his great-great-grandfather, Ustad Sahebdad Khan - all leading artist of their generation.
At the age of three Shujaat began practicing on a specially made small sitar, and by the time he was six, the child prodigy started giving public performances. Since then he has performed at all the prestigious music festivals in India and has traveled around the world performing in Asia, Africa, North America and Europe. Shujaat Husain Khan has developed his own unique style of playing Indian classical music. His approach to rhythm is largely intuitive, fresh and spontaneous, always astonishing his audiences. He is also known for his exceptional voice, which he uses for singing folk songs and poetry.

Guitarist Enno Voorhorst has recorded a recital of pieces by the Paraguayan composer Barrios. This is repertoire typically written for the instrument and well-known to any guitarist. These compositions demand a great deal of technical skill from the performers. Not without reason Barrios was nicknamed "Paganini of the guitar from the jungle of Paraguay."

Enno Voorhorst was born in 1962 in The Hague and grew up in a family of musicians. At an early age he started playing violin and combined this later with playing the guitar. He was taught by Hein Sanderink, Hubert Käppel and David Russell. In 1987 he won first prize at the 7th guitar competition at Hof, Germany. Some more prizes followed like the Dutch Guitar Prize in 1992 in the Amsterdam Concertgebouw and, in the same year, first prize at the Seto-Ohashi competition in Japan. In the meantime he was being invited all over the world and toured through South America, Europe and Asia.

French composer/conductor Paul Mauriat is a classically trained musician who decided to pursue a career in popular music. His first major success came in 1962, as a co-writer of the European hit "Chariot." In 1963, the song was given English lyrics, renamed "I Will Follow Him," and became a number one American hit for Little Peggy March. Mauriat is best remembered for his 1968 worldwide smash "Love Is Blue."

Mauriat's ancestors were all classical musicians and he originally planned to follow in their footsteps, studying the music as a child and enrolling in the Conservatoire in Paris when he was ten years old. As a teenager, he became infatuated with jazz and popular music, which made him stray from his initial career path. At the age of 17, he formed an orchestra and began touring concert halls throughout Europe. These concerts earned him the attention of vocalist/songwriter Charles Aznavour, who hired Mauriat as an arranger and conductor. Through Aznavour, he began working with a variety of other French artists. For the remainder of the '40s and the '50s, he worked primarily as an arranger for other musicians.

Mauriat began a solo career in the early '60s, recording a series of instrumental albums that were distinguished by their sweeping, melodic strings and gently insistent contemporary rhythms. Using the pseudonym Del Roma, he co-wrote "Chariot," which became a hit for Petula Clark in 1962. The following year, the song was given a new, English lyric by Arthur Altman and Norman Gimbel and was recorded by Little Peggy March as "I Will Follow Him"; it became a number one hit in the U.S.

Throughout the '60s, Mauriat continued to record his pop instrumental albums, which became more popular as the decade progressed. His popularity peaked in 1968, when his version of "L'Amour Est Bleu" (Love Is Blue), which was Luxembourg's submission to the 1963 Eurovision Song contest, became an international hit, reaching number one on a number of charts, including America. The single was supported by Blooming Hits, an album that featured a selection of '60s pop hits; the album was massively popular and it is estimated that it sold in excess of two million copies worldwide. Mauriat became an international recording star, touring North and Latin America, Europe, and Japan, and making television appearances in several countries.

Although Mauriat's popularity dipped in the early '70s -- he only had two other U.S. hit singles, "Love in Every Room" and "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang," which were both minor -- he continued to sell respectably throughout the world, particularly in Europe. After the '80s his recorded output slowed as his Western audience dwindled, but in the Far East he found a loyal following. Tours of Russia, China, and Japan would continue until 1998 when the conductor gave his last live performance in Osaka. A year later, former lead pianist Gilles Gambus would become conductor of the orchestra, and then in 2005 French horn player Jean-Jacques Justafre would be handed the baton. On November 3, 2006, Mauriat died in the southern French city of Perpignan. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine & Kenneth M. Cassidy, All Music Guide

This is the second of a four-part set by Globestyle and its affiliated labels covering the taarab music of Zanzibar. Taarab is essentially a syncretic style of Muslim musics on the African coast mixed with heavy influences from Indian film music, Egyptian and Lebanese musics, and the like. This album, from the Ikhwani Safaa club, shows off the basic sounds of the genre. The club is a musical institution on the small island, founded by the sultan of Zanzibar in 1905. Women were allowed to join after the revolution of 1964. Now the sound is full and definitely shows its influences from the rest of the African coast, the gulf, and the far-off subcontinental styles, though the language is still largely Swahili in origin. The music is highly flowing, with a clever rhythmic structure backing the whole of the songs. While the usual harmonium is missing, there is a more standard organ to replace its position in the ensemble. The singers, of both genders, are outstanding, with surprising clarity and vocal ranges. For anyone wishing to look into the many, many facets of taarab, this is one necessary stop along the tour. Others would surely include the taarab of other countries, including the strong Mombassa tradition. Still, though the picture is not complete, this is an album worthy of being heard by all interested parties. ~ Adam Greenberg

THE STORY OF FLAMENCO is aimed at two audiences. There is the new-comer whose ears have been opened to flamenco thanks to the success of pop-flamenco groups like the Gypsy Kings and who now want to delve more deeply into the roots of this distinct and emotionally charged music. And then there are those who have known and loved flamenco and now wish to have, on a snigle disc, many of its greatest names in a new format that has been sparkingly remastered. In some ways the disk is a primer for beginners. As such the music we have included is, of necessary, basic flamenco. Given this, the tracks were selected carefully and offer the finest examples of each "palo", or style of flamenco singing, as sung by the greatest singers.
This collection will provide the listener with a broad view of the world of flamenco, seducing all with its beauty and magic. So relax, sit back, and enjoy the music. Remember, the most important part of enjoying flamenco is feeling it.

The Story of Flamenco can either be very painful to hear -- what with all that frenetic boot slamming and insanely intense guitar playing -- or it can bring the promise of sultry evenings and vague notions of cultural richness and full-scale dramas played out on-stage. It can be both, really, and this fine Capitol collection brings all the history and the excitement home by way of 17 cuts spanning the long history of the form. Featuring some of the world's most accomplished flamenco musicians, The Story of Flamenco includes performances by such well-known figures as Gabriel Moreno, Pepe de la Matrona, and Paco Isidro. So, pour yourself a nice glass of Spanish wine and prepare to be enthralled. ~ Stephen Cook, All Music Guide

Santa María de Iquique or Cantata Santa María de Iquique: Cantata Popular, is a cantata composed in 1969 by the Chilean music composer Luis Advis Vitaglich, combining elements of both classical and folkloric/indigenous musical traditions to produce what became known as a popular cantata and one of Quilapayún’s most acclaimed and popular musical interpretation.The theme of the cantata is an historical industrial dispute that ended with the massacre of miners in the northern Chilean city of Iquique in 1907. The reading is impeccably executed by the Chilean actor Hector Devauchelle, who captures the increasingly tense struggle between the miners and their exploiters in the narrative. Instrumental interludes and songs empower the progression of the story leading to a final song which voices the miners demand for an end to exploitation with visions of an egalitarian and free world.

The Santa María de Iquique Massacre refers to a massacre which occurred in Iquique,on December 21, 1907. In the massacre, an undetermined number of saltpeter workers were killed in a strike while housed in the Santa María School at the port of Iquique. The events that give rise to the facts occur during the peak of the production of saltpeter in the Chilean Norte Grande, during the parliamentary governments. The strike, provoked by the terrible working conditions and exploitations of the workers, was repressed by means of an indiscriminate use of the army's force by part of the government of former president Pedro Montt. General Roberto Silva Renard, commanding the military units under instructions of the minister of the interior Rafael Sotomayor Gaete, ordered to repress the protests, killing one hundred workers and the survivors were severly treated.

Its historical antecedents are found in the birth of the workers' movement in general, and the syndicalism in particular. Both initiated their development inside the saltpeter miners, at times of profound institutional decadence of their country. The massacre provoked the decelerating of the movement by close to ten years, before the exercised violence by agents of the state. This strike was the end of a series of strikes that began in 1902, chiefs of which being the Strike of Valparaíso in 1903 and that of Santiago in 1905.

The sarod is an unfretted, short-necked Hindustani lute. Often carved from a single block of teak, the sarod is characterized by its wide, metal covered fingerboard and thin parchment soundboard. The instrument is laced with a complex array of melodic, drone, and Chikari strings (Chikari strings are plucked in order to accent melodic phrases and add rhythmic variety). In addition, about another dozen strings, which can be tuned to the scale of the raga being played, pass through the body of the instrument and vibrate sympathetically when other strings are played.

On Homage to Mother Teresa, sarod master Ustad Amjad Ali Khan demonstrates his relaxed mastery over this elaborate instrument in a rendition of "Rag Rageshwari." Collaborating with famed tabla player Zakir Hussain, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan demonstrates his playing prowess through gentle slides in pitch known as meend, fusillades of melodic runs called tans, and just about everything in between. Kicking off this Calcutta concert with a half-hour, non-metered solo section called "Alap-Jor-Jhala," the artist patiently unfolds the harmonic petals of this evening rag. In the duet that follows, the two maestros play off one another while moving through a variety of tempos and rhythmic cycles. Beginning with a slow ten-beat rhythmic cycle, the duo moves into a medium tempo version of the 16-beat cycle "Tintal," following it up with a fast composition in the 14-beat "Ada Chautal." They conclude the performance with a brisk and intricately faceted version of "Tintal." In a word, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and Zakir Hussain's version of "Rag Rageshwari" is phenomenal. A tribute worthy of the holiest of saints, Homage to Mother Teresa is a first rate CD that underscores the beauty of the sarod and tabla. It is sure to please Indian music buffs and novices alike. ~ John Vallier, All Music Guide

This collection of Cuban sons, boleros, and rondos is performed by a family whose origins lie in the same region as the birthplace of the son: the Oriente (of which the capitol is Santiago), over a thousand miles from Havana. Ocora has taken its usual academically sound approach and recorded the Familia Valera Miranda -- all of the three generations represented here are musicians -- playing the classic sons of various times and regions, but mostly from the 0riente. The country son differs widely from the urban version in that, while the two-measure beat is created with the claves, there are improvised lines from the beginning, and the chorus itself remains static. The freeform first lines and choruses that usually come in the back part of the song are reversed here. Elsewhere, on the boleros, the driving passion at the heart of the more urban variety is muted into something more lush and asymmetrical, creating an incantatory and hallucinatory kind of son, one that slips out of what those further to the north have come to recognize as either son or bolero. The only drawback to this collection is the dry, flat sound with which Ocora has chosen to record this family. For whatever reason, its equalization was registered as flat, and therefore if the listener is not delving deeply into the songs and their meanings -- courtesy of a complete booklet of information -- the tracks all become samey-sounding and don't highlight the dynamics in some of these songs, which are part of the popular son repertoire on the island, especially in Havana. Indeed, it's as if the Ocora team went out of their way to record the Familia Valera Miranda as timepieces, artifacts, antiquities -- rather than as the living and breathing musicians they are. It is truly unfortunate to have the most passionate music on the planet performed by some of its most important interpreters, but recorded as if it were a museum exhibition. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide

This superb compilation of Richie Ray and Bobby Cruz focuses of their work of the late '60s and early '70s. Ray's sterling piano technique complements to perfection Cruz's formidable vocal skills, as the their two-trumpet lineup soars to unknown heights. The compilation boasts good sound, which keeps their timely ideas fresh and delightful. "Agúzate" sounds as energetic as ever and "Sonido Bestial" features a memorable Richie Ray solo (with the help of Chopin's "Revolutionary Etude No. 12"). Some material from their Fonseca years is available ("Yényere" and "Comején"), as well as "El Diferente" from the UA Latino catalog. For those who are unfamiliar with the talents of this great outfit, this is a perfect way to get started. A must-have for '60s and early-'70s salsa fans. ~ José A. Estévez, Jr., All Music Guide

A new work by Iranian sisters Mahsa and Marjan Vahdat is a step away from the more contemporary collaboration they made in 2007 with Norwegian musicians. This time around, they work with Iranian musicians playing ney, setar, bass, synth, oud, doudouk, kamancha, daf and other percussion), and with the composer, arranger and producer Atabak Elyasi. Contributors include Pasha Hanjani and Amir Eslami (ney), Shervin Mohajer (kamancha), Shahram Gholami (oud), Ali Razmi and Atabak Elyasi (setar), Reza Asgarzadeh (doudouk), Babak Riahipour (bass), Ali Rahimi (daf and percussion).

A musical and poetic manifestation from Iranian women
| The sisters Mahsa and Marjan Vahdat who in 2007 released the CD ”Songs from a Persian Garden” have during the last years created a new collection of recorded songs. It has happened in cooperation with Iranian musicians (ney, setar, bass, synth, oud, doudouk, kamancha, daf and other percussion), and with the composer, arranger and producer Atabak Elyasi.

After a fruitful cooperation with Knut Reiersrud and several Norwegian musicians on the “Songs from a Persian Garden” it is interesting to follow up with a project close to 100 percent born and created in Iran. Just the mix and the mastering is done in Norway/Sweden.

The front page of the CD shows a more than 4000 years old woman figure from Iran, and together with the title “I am Eve” and the strong poetic power that fills the whole record, it strikes a tone of woman power which has the weight of thousands of years and makes the oppressing doctrines of present Iran a parenthesis of history.

The music on the record is more meditating and less experimental than “Songs from a Persian Garden”. But it still takes brave steps to renew the Persian tradition, both harmonically and in terms of sound. First of all, it brings power and beauty, and it is carried by fantastic vocal works and delicate and interesting arrangements.

“I am Eve” has melodic elements born from Persian classical tradition, shaped by the Vahdat sisters. The poems are written by contemporary poets in Iran like Azar Khajavi and Layegh Shir Ali and by classical poets like Rumi and Baba Taher.

Who can stop Eve from singing?
Who can stop the water from running or the wind from blowing?
Since the first woman of creation, women’s voices have been heard wherever mankind has settled, singing songs of love and joy, sorrow and comfort.
The power of their voices is strong. But, to try to control or ban their songs is like opposing the power of the creation itself.

Abdel Halim HafezAl Andalib Al Asmar "The Dusky Nightingale". was the nickname of the most idolized Arabic artist-singer of the second half of the 20th century: Abdel Halim Hafez. His life resembles a true mosaic where all of his songs put together make up a fresco of love, patriotism, glory and grief. He was the idol of the young generations of the sixties and seventies, and remained so for the generations that followed. So much so that today, grand mothers compete with their grand children in their idolatry for the "Dusky Nightingale". Today, fully matured middle aged men are still overwhelmed by him as their prime youth was deeply marked by his unique and unmatched voice. He was practically born an orphan. It was in 1929 and the beginning of a grief stricken life III health and disease continuously dogged the artist until he died prematurely at the age of 48 in a London clinic. Sixteen movies and some hundred songs cannot possible, be enough to sum up and explain the Abdel Halim Hafez phenomenon. Halim, as his close friends used to call him was endowed with a rare charisma boosted by an outstanding intelligence and an amazing sensitivity and compassion which permeated the way he sang or played as an actor with prestigious stars such as Shadia, Faten Hamama, Maryam Fakhreddine, Sabah etc... Although a talented musician himself, he never composed the melodies of his songs. However, he enriched the work of his early collaborators namely kamal El Taweel, Mohamed El Mougui and later on Mohamed Abdel Wahab who was his close friend and his "accomplice" as well as Baligh Hamdi to name a few. He happened to sing songs whose lyrics sounded more like a trade-union manifesto but which turned into fiery passion through the magic of his voice...Imagine when he crooned love songs...